State, varsities partner to equip artisanal gold miners

The government has partnered with universities on an ambitious programme to equip artisanal miners with mining related skills.

Mining, Blue Economy and Maritime Affairs Cabinet Secretary Salim Mvurya further said the government is in the process of gazetting Artisanal mining committees which will then issue licenses to the miners and stakeholders in the sector following the lifting of moratorium on mining on September 3, which that was done to allow geological surveys across the country.

According to Mvurya, the miners were yet to be granted permits following the imposition of the moratorium on December 2, 2019 that brought the issuance of permits to a halt.

Speaking on the sidelines of the 4th Edition of the Centre of Excellence for Mining Environmental Engineering and Resource Management (CEMEREM) biennial international conference in Mombasa, Mvurya said artisanal miners have made huge contributions in their livelihoods adding that with proper empowerment they can turnaround the country’s economy.

Going forward, the CS said the miners will then be organised into cooperatives for easy access to financial services and training whereby the government has partnered with Taita Taveta University, which is training the miners.

Taita Taveta University Vice Chancellor Prof Fred Barasa said the institution is partnering with sponsors who fund training of the artisanal miners with the view to equip them with sufficient knowledge on safety and value addition.

“This in the end they get more value for minerals they extract because they sell value-added gemstones. We also train them on environmental impact assessment,” Prof Barasa said.